1 WHAT WAS THE COLD WAR?

Transcription

1 WHAT WAS THE COLD WAR? This book is concerned with the period , the years recognized as the Cold War era. Cold War is the term used to describe periods of hostility and high tension between states that stops just short of war. In the period , this was the situation that existed between the two great post-war superpowers, the United States and the USSR. The USA and the USSR had emerged as the two competing superpowers following the defeat of Nazi Germany in Rather than being traditional enemies, expected at some time to enter into conflict, the rapid escalation of nuclear armament by both of these countries made the results of any possible direct conflict unthinkable. It was of paramount importance to find new strategies to avoid escalation to the level of nuclear warfare. This situation led to 45 years of ideological conflict, a conventional and nuclear arms race and wars fought by proxy on the battlefields of Asia, Africa and Latin America. It also involved economic rivalry and the development of huge espionage networks, as each side tried to infiltrate the other to discover military and strategic secrets. It was American journalist Walter Lippman, writing for the New Herald in 1947, who popularized the term Cold War to describe the relationship developing between the USA and the USSR, while the U.S. president of the time, Harry S Truman, preferred the phrase, the war of nerves.? Communism versus Capitalism To understand the fundamental differences that existed between the USA and the USSR in 1945, and why these two countries were perceived by many as inevitable enemies, it is important to understand the key differences between their economic and political philosophies, that is, the opposing ideologies of Capitalism and Communism. The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917 saw Lenin and the Bolshevik Party establish the world s first Communist state based on the ideas of the 19th-century economic philosopher, Karl Marx. For the leaders of the United States and other countries in the West, these ideas seemed to threaten the very basis of their societies.? TWO RIVAL IDEOLOGIES The West Economic differences: Individuals should be able to compete with each other with a minimum of state interference and make as much money as they wish. This is known as Capitalism. Individuals are thus encouraged to work hard by the promise of individual reward. Political differences: Individuals choose the government through voting. There is a range of political parties to choose from. Individuals have certain rights, such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press. This is known as liberal democracy. The USSR Economic differences: Capitalism creates divisions between rich and poor. Thus all businesses and farms should be owned by the state on behalf of the people. This is Communism. Goods will be distributed to individuals by the state. Everyone will thus get what is needed and everyone will be working for the collective good. Political differences: There is no need for a range of political parties, as the Communist Party truly represents the views of all the workers and rules on behalf of the people. Individual freedoms valued by the West are not necessary. This is a one-party state. 1

2 WHAT WAS THE COLD WAR? Increasing hostility The mutual suspicion between the West and the Soviet Union manifested itself in various ways between the Bolshevik Revolution (1917) and the start of World War Two (1939): the intervention of the West in the Russian Civil War ( ) supporting the conservative forces the Whites in their attempt to overthrow the new Bolshevik government the fact that the USSR did not receive diplomatic recognition nor join the League of Nations until the 1930s the appeasement of Hitler and the Nazis in the 1930s by the West; this was partly motivated by a fear of Soviet Communism, which at the time was stronger than the fear of German fascism the Non-Aggression Pact (Nazi Soviet Pact) between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed in 1939, which allowed Hitler to concentrate on attacking the West. Idealism versus self-interest The USA and the USSR each believed that its particular political philosophy was the right one, that their respective system was the most fair and the best for creating a just society. How they translated these opposing ideologies in practice is outlined below. You can see that each side believed that it offered the only true path to peace, freedom, justice and plenty for all. However, behind the idealism, the USA and the USSR were also motivated by their own self-interests. USA USSR What ideals underpinned the view of each country?? Idealism of Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt Struggle for a better world based on collective security, political self-determination and economic integration Peace, freedom, justice and plenty Marxist idealism and Stalinism Struggle for a better world based on international socialism Peace, freedom, justice and plenty How was this to be achieved by each country? Achieved by democracy / Capitalism and international co-operation Achieved by spreading Soviet-style Communism What elements of self-interest lay behind each country s ideals? The need to establish markets and open doors to free trade The desire to avoid another economic crisis of the magnitude of 1929 President Truman and most of the post-war U.S. administration s belief that what's good for America is good for the world The need to secure borders The need to recover from the effects of World War Two The need to regain strength as the 'nursery of Communism Stalin s belief that what s good for the USSR is good for workers of the world So, what really motivated the foreign policies of the USA and the USSR idealism, or simply old-fashioned imperialism? It could be a matter of perception. As you will see from the events after 1945, it is sometimes very difficult to separate actions based on ideology from those based on self-interest. 2

3 What was the signiﬁcance of Stalinism? At this juncture it is important to establish what the Soviet leader Josef Stalin s own particular brand of Communism meant. It was a Soviet Union driven by Stalinism that faced the Capitalist powerhouse of the United States in 1945, and some historians believe that this was a key factor in the development of the Cold War. (For further discussion on the historiography of the Cold War, see Chapter Four.) Stalin had taken over the leadership of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin, becoming sole leader by the late 1920s. His policies included the ruthless collectivization of all farms, which led to the deaths of millions of agricultural workers. He also started a series of Five Year Plans in industry, which dramatically increased industrial production and put the USSR into a position where it could greatly contribute to the defeat of Nazi Germany in In the 1930s, Stalin launched the Great Terror, which resulted in purges of all political opponents, as well as millions of ordinary people who were executed or sent to the gulags (slave labour camps). By 1945, Stalinism meant: the dominance of Stalin over the party, and the party over state institutions a powerful state security machine the ruthless maintenance of power by the elimination of opposing leaders, groups or entire sections of the population the development of a regime associated with paranoia and violence. Josef Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, Stalin s role in World War Two Stalin had hoped an attack from Hitler could be delayed indeﬁnitely by signing the Nazi-Soviet Pact in However, in June 1941, the Germans felt they could no longer hold off action on the eastern front and, despite the fact that Britain had not yet been defeated, launched Operation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union. The Red Army was ill-prepared to resist the Nazis, having had most of its experienced and talented ofﬁcers killed in Stalin s purges. Stalin had also ignored repeated warnings from the West. The Ukraine was quickly overrun and the German army besieged Leningrad and reached the outskirts of Moscow. However, the Soviets were able to prevent the Germans taking Moscow and after the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, the Nazis were slowly pushed back towards Berlin. Stalin s key role in the ﬁnal victory over Nazi Germany in Europe not only made him more secure and more powerful in the Soviet Union, but it also put him in a strong position to emerge as one of the leading powers of the post-war world Hist_01_001_008.indd 3 18/12/07 13:51:27

4 WHAT WAS THE COLD WAR? 20 million people were displaced in World War Two USA approx. 400,000 The cost of World War Two Great Britain 357,000 France 600,000 Germany 7 million 23 per cent of Europe s farmland could not be used for food production, leading to severe crisis during USSR million USSR: 1,700 towns, 31,000 factories, 100,000 state farms destroyed Coal production in Europe was 40 percent down on pre-war levels China 10 million USA: GDP almost doubled by 1944 Italy 500,000 Japan 2 million ToK Time The statistics here vary in different historical sources. Why might this be the case? What does this suggest about the use of statistics for the historian? STUDENT STUDY SECTION Poland 6 million Australia 39,000 New Zealand 12,000 Map question What do these statistics indicate about the different positions of a) the Soviet Union and b) Europe as a whole compared to that of the USA in 1945? 4

5 Why did the USA and the USSR emerge as superpowers after 1945? American statesman and politician Dean Acheson wrote of the situation in the aftermath of World War Two, The whole world structure and order that we had inherited from the 19th century was gone. In 1945, the Old Powers, that is Britain and France, had been shown to be no longer able to maintain peace on their own, while the USA and USSR emerged from World War Two as significantly more powerful than they had been before the war. Why was this? Military reasons To defeat Germany, the USA had become the number one air-force power in the world. To defeat Germany, the USSR had become the number one land-force power in the word. France and Britain s inability to defeat Germany had changed the balance of power. They had become second rank powers. The USSR now lacked any strong military neighbours. This made it the regional power. Economic reasons The USA s economy was strengthened by the war. It was now able to out-produce all the other powers put together. The USA was committed to more open trade. Its politicians and businesspeople wanted to ensure liberal trade, and market competition flourished. The United States was willing to play an active role in avoiding the re-emergence of the disastrous pre-war pattern of trade-blocs and tariffs. The USA had the economic strength to prevent a return to instability in Europe. The small Eastern European countries that had been created after World War One were not economically viable on their own, so they needed the support of a stronger neighbour, and the USSR could replace Germany in this role. Political reasons For the West, the outcome of World War Two showed that the ideals of democracy and international collaboration had triumphed over fascism. Thus the political system of the USA was the right path for the future. For the Soviet Union, it was Communism that had triumphed over fascism. Indeed, Communism had gained widespread respect in Europe because of its part in resisting the Germans. The USSR s huge losses, and the role of the Red Army in defeating the Nazis, gave Stalin a claim to great influence in forming the post-war world. The USSR had the political (as well as military) strength to prevent a return to instability in Eastern Europe. Communism could fill the political vacuum there. Given the new positions of the USA and the USSR in 1945, and their relative strength compared to the weakened European countries, it is not surprising that they were to become the key players in setting up the post-war settlement in Europe that created the new political map. It was during this process, however, that the Alliance set up during the war collapsed, and by 1949 only four years after the end of the war the state of Cold War had come into existence. This international situation was to last forty years until the collapse of the Soviet Union in

7 STUDENT STUDY SECTION Research questions From what you have read so far, identify the main ways by which the superpowers waged the Cold War from How does a society become Communist? Research Karl Marx s theory of revolution and explain the stages through which society must pass. In 1945 was the USSR a Communist state? What was the idealism of Roosevelt and Wilson in international relations? (refer to the table on page 2) What examples exist of U.S. economic imperialism in the century before 1945? Do you think that ideology or self-interest was a more important factor in motivating the USA and the USSR after 1945? ToK Time Consider your answer to Question 6, and reflect on how a historian works. Historians select the evidence they identify as the most important and/ or relevant and interpret the value and limitation of different sources. Is historical truth thus really just opinion or can there be objective historical truth? Are there definitive answers to questions such as Question 6? Key political definitions It is important to understand not only the basic differences in ideology between the USA and the USSR, but also the following political concepts and ideas: Liberalism Liberals put their main emphasis on the freedom of the individual. Economically they believe in minimal interference by the state, and in foreign policy they promote the ideas of free trade and co-operation. They strongly believe in: civil liberties (freedom of conscience, freedom of speech) universal suffrage parliamentary constitutional government an independent judiciary diplomacy rather than force in relations between states. Fascism This ideology is rooted in ideas that are the very opposite of liberalism. Fascists believe in: limiting individual freedoms in the interest of the state extreme nationalism use of violence to achieve ends keeping power in the hands of an elite group or leader an aggressive foreign policy. Socialism This ideology developed in the early 19th century in the context of the industrial revolution. (Note that Marxist ideology uses the term socialism to apply to the transitional stage of the revolution before the state withers away.) Socialists believe in: a more egalitarian social system governments providing for the more needy members of society international co-operation and solidarity. Conservatism This generally implies a belief in maintaining the existing or traditional order. Specifically, conservatives believe in: respect for traditional institutions limiting government intervention in people s lives gradual and/or limited changes in the established order. Maoism This is a form of Communism adapted by Mao Zedong to suit China s situation. Mao believed: revolution could be achieved by the peasants, not necessarily by the urban proletariat, as Marx had envisaged class conflict was not as important in revolution as using the human will to make and remake revolution, hence his use of the mass movement revolution should be on-going, or continuous.? Right-wing and left-wing The origin of the terms left and right dates back to the French Revolution. In the Estates General of 1789, nobles who supported the King sat on his right, while radicals who wanted a change in the political system sat on his left. As a result, right was used to describe people who wanted no change, and left was used to describe those who wanted radical change. Right-wing now tends to describe groups who favour free-market Capitalism, emphasis on law and order, limited state interference and traditional values in society. Left-wing now tends to describe those groups who favour more equality in society and thus more government intervention in the economy in order to try to secure this situation. 7

8 WHAT WAS THE COLD WAR? Questions Which of these ideologies (also include Communism and Stalinism) can be categorized as left-wing and which of them can be categorized as right-wing? Where would you place each of the ideologies on this line? Left-wing Right-wing Do the political parties of your own country fit into any of the definitions given above or do they contain elements of more than one ideology? Where would you place them on the line? What similarities exist between extreme left and extreme right political parties? Is a straight line the best way to represent the positions of the different political ideologies? Could you find another way of doing this? 8

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